Platonic?
by DixieGoddess
Summary: Kurama darted into the bathroom and immediately doused his face with water.Trembling, he gazed through the waterdrops at tinted gold eyes in the mirror. Not her... he whispered shakily. Please, Youko... anyone but her... YoukoxShiori Lime,slight incest
1. A Warning

WARNING:

This _is_ a KuramaxShiori fic. Well, to be more precise, it's actually more of a YoukoxShiori fic. So, I guess you could say that it contains incest... but in way, it sort of doesn't, considering Shiori is Shuicchi's mother, not Youko's. But anyway... I'll label it as slight incest just so nobody's shocked.

Just for the record, I will only be annoyed by reviews that say things like "Eww! Kurama wouldn't fall for Shiori! She's like a mother figure to him!" I KNOW, ok? Like I said, it's more a YoukoxShiori fic than KuramaxShiori. And look at all the Yukina/Hiei stories out there when there's absolutely no indication in the series that they feel more than platonic love for eachother, especially Hiei.

Besides, this is fanfiction. I'm not saying anything like this could ever actually happen within the series, nor would I _want_ it to happen. I'm perfectly content with the platonic mother/son relationship between them in the real storyline. I just thought this would make an interesting fic. To tell you the truth, I was actually surprised nobody's done this concept before. Then again, maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. If something to this degree _has_ been done before, I apologize. I came up with it all by myself in my own twisted little mind.

This story also contains lime. Probably _bad_ lime, since this is my first attempt at it, but lime nonetheless. Since the ratings on this site only allow up to lime content, (and since I'd probably be way too uncomfortable to write anything more graphic) there won't be any lemon. There won't even be a lemon version on a different site. I have nothing against lemon stories; I just don't trust my own ability to write an interesting one. So if you want a lemon version of this story, write out the lemon sections and read it to yourself.

I think those are my only warnings. Lime, incest... probably angsty... I'm not too great at angst; I end up depressing myself when I write it, so it's avoided as much as possible. But this definitely cannot work out as a fluffy story. So I'll be doing my best in that department.

If you're still interested, by all means, continue on and enjoy! If you've lost interest, by all means, leave and find something else more to your liking. I've warned you of what this story contains, and nobody is forcing you to read it. I hate stupid people who just want to find something to bitch and whine about. There are better things to do with your time than attack people who don't share your views. 'Nuf said.


	2. Uncontrolled

A/N: Alright, so you've continued on after the warning! I hope you enjoy! But if you don't, that's ok too. I realize this is kind of an out-there idea for a story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I'm just grateful they exist, so I have the opportunity to put them into my story.

Warnings: Lime, slight incest, angst

* * *

Kurama's eyebrow twitched slightly at the presence of his "stalker's" energy. However, knowing that in this situation, losing his temper would only make him be watched more closely, he forced his body to remain calm and kept his gaze firmly pointed forward. 

"You don't have to keep tabs on me, Hiei." He spoke quietly and indirectly, though he knew Hiei could hear him. "I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself." He sighed. "I was perfectly capable of controlling myself last year, and the year before that as well. I don't need a baby-sitter."

No longer bothering to hide among the trees, Hiei jumped down and gracefully fell into stride with his ally. "I'm not _baby-sitting_ you," he snapped with disgust. "I'm merely following Koenma's request."

Frowning and becoming more agitated, Kurama glared at his demon companion out of the corner of his eye. "I told you-"

"Yes, I know," Hiei cut him off, tersely. "You're perfectly capable of controlling yourself. But since Youko has become more prevelent in your life lately, Koenma's worried your instincts might start kicking in stronger than before." He smirked. "You're already getting more irritated than you usually do."

Choosing not to respond, Kurama decided to try to change the subject. "So where exactly do you plan on staying for the duration of your "watch-duty"?"

Hiei gave a devilish smirk. "Why? Worried I might take advantage of you? Or maybe you're worried you won't be able to resisit taking advantage of me...?" He inwardly laughed as Kurama fought back a blush and darted his eyes back and forth, checking if any fanclub girls were lurking around and had caught that comment. "Relax, _Shuicchi_," he said mockingly. "Nobody's around. I wouldn't _dare_ to tarnish your perfect reputation."

Regaining his composure, Kurama frowned and refused to look at his friend. "You've become officially obnoxious."

Hiei 'hmphed', smirk still in place. "If I'm going to be forced to treat you like some disobidient, hormone-driven teenager, I may as well have my fun with it."

Kurama ignored him.

* * *

Not another word had been spoken for the rest of the walk back to the Minnamino residence. Hiei knew he had won, and so did Kurama. There was nothing else left to say. 

Naturally, Kurama wasn't too pleased that Hiei and Koenma could be so astute to his condition. But, unfortunately, they were right.

Since his new cycle had begun yesterday, he had noticed a difference from how his heat cycle usually went. Sure, he always became lustful, and his temper became a bit short, but he had always been able to control it to the point of being practically unnoticable. However, as Hiei had been so kind to point out, his patience was at a rare low, and all day long, he had fought against seemingly unprovoked urges.

He had never before been even the slightest bit attracted to any of his classmates - male or female - and he was usually only slightly annoyed at their persistance in flirting with him. Today... well, let's just say his books spent a good deal of time in his lap, and when he was forced to stand during class, he read with his book strategically propped up in front of his lower regions.

Once he had finally gotten outside in the nice, fresh air and away from everyone, he had calmed down and returned to normal. And by the time Hiei appeared, he had gotten over the shock of his loss of self-control and had meditated enough to act the way he should have all day.

Kurama inwardly sighed. They were right. Now that Youko was more prevelant in his life, his yearly mating cycle wouldn't just be standard procedure anymore. His other side would actually try to seek out a mate. Fortunately, nowadays, Kurama had self-control out the wazoo, but that still didn't mean it wasn't going to be a damn uncomfortable two weeks. Thankfully, today was Friday, so he would have the entire weekend to figure out how to lessen the urges.

Once they reached Kurama's house, Hiei promptly disappeared into thin air without so much as a second glance or a small grunt. Blinking in slight confusion, Kurama brushed it off and stepped inside. Who knew what was going through Hiei's head? "Mother! I'm home!"

"In the kitchen, Shuicchi!" a voice called from the left. Kicking off his shoes, and placing his bookbag by the stairs to make sure he took it up later, Kurama sauntered into the kitchen to greet his mother. "Shuicchi!" Shiori smiled and wiped her hands on her apron before leaning up to give her son a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, mother," Kurama responded, smiling.

"How was school today?" Shiori asked, leaning back and turning back to her cooking.

"Fine. What are you doing?"

"Preparing dinner for you and little Suicci. Your stepfather and I are going out tonight."

"Mother," Kurama chided gently. "I could have taken care of this."

Shiori laughed. "I knew you were going to scold me for this, Shuicchi. I've been waiting for it since I started." She pat her son on the cheek in a motherly fashion. "Don't worry, honey. I don't mind. I'm fine. Go do something boys your age _should_ be doing." She chuckled slightly at their little inside joke.

Kurama mimicked her, but suddenly paused and quietly groaned, realizing that his "little problem" had decided to spring up again. Damn hormones. It seemed he no longer even needed anything to stimulate him to become aroused.

"Shuicchi, are you ok?" Shiori asked worriedly.

Kurama's eyes widened as he realized his mother had heard him groan. "Ah, no, mother. Nothing. I just pulled a small muscle laughing. Don't worry about it. I'll just be up in my room." He spoke quickly and with his back facing her. Before she could protest, he had left the room as swiftly as he had come.

* * *

Another sigh escaped Kurama's lips. It seemed he had done a lot of that lately. 

Well, that's what plants and elixirs were for. If there was some concoction that could give someone an erection, there certainly had to be one that could take it away.

But for now, a cold shower would suffice.

He quickly flung his bookbag on his bed, grabbed up a pair of comfortable clothes, and headed for the bathroom. He locked the door and started the shower, making sure it was nice and cold. Undressing himself was almost unbearably uncomfortable, especially when his hand accidentally brushed against his arousal, but Kurama bit his lip and held back. Giving into his desire in the middle of the bathroom floor was not a good idea.

Now, completely naked, he stepped into the ice cold stream of water, jumping a bit at the shock of it. Slowly, he eased himself into the flow, trying to get rid of the tension down below. After a few fruitless minutes, he growled lowly. He didn't know what stupid idiot had come up with the idea that cold showers were good for getting rid of sexual tension, but they were wrong!

Sure, hot showers infinitely sped up the lust process compared to cold showers, but still, just feeling the water pelt his body relentlessly was enough to make his problem worse.

Figuring he had already failed with the cold water, Kurama reached out to the knob and twisted it until a nice hot stream of water was rolling down his naked body instead. He let his eyes drift closed as he leaned against the shower wall. The warm water struck his body without mercy and he could no longer suppress a groan. Thankfully, it was covered up by the strong jet of water.

His left hand reached up and slowly played with one wet and painfully pert nipple, feeling himself growing even harder under his own teasing ministrations. His breathing became irregular as the other hand slid down his slippery stomach and brushed against his erection.

The small touch from his own hand caused his hips to buck involuntarily. His other hand began working more roughly on his nipple.

Kurama could feel himself growing guilty at the sudden thought that he was in the bathroom, jacking off, while his mother was making his dinner. He should have been able to control himself. He should have insisted that he take over. She worked herself hard enough. He imagined his mother, working away at dinner. Another pang of guilt shot through him, but it was quickly pushed aside as another wave of lust pushed to the surface of his consciousness. He clamped his hand over his erection and moaned. Beginning a steady rhythm, he vowed to himself that he would feel guilty and subtlely make it up to Shiori later. After all, hadn't she said to go do something boys his age should be doing?

His hands had just started to speed up and bring him closer to the edge when the shower curtain was violently and unexpectedly ripped back. The cold air and grating noise caused Kurama to jump and slip, effectively breaking his lustrous train of thought. He went crashing to the shower floor in all his glory, taking some bottles and other random shower items with him. "HIEI!" he yelled, looking up at the fire demon, who was merely staring at him in bored surprise. "WHAT THE HELL?"

Hiei blinked, breaking his stare. "Oh, sorry," he droned, nonchalantly, as if this was an everyday occurence. "As you were." He then, just as calmly, pulled the shower curtain back into place.

Staring in disbelief at the back of the curtain, Kurama hoisted himself up and roughly shut off the water. His erection had successfully been eradicated, thanks to his teammate's grand entrance. He repeated Hiei's actions of violently ripping back the shower curtain and practically stormed out of the shower. Hiei had perched himself on the counter, obviously intending to wait there until Kurama was finished. He looked at the redheaded demon with mild surprise. "Done already? I didn't know even _you_ were _that_ good."

Not answering his "friend", Kurama shoved the smaller demon's legs to the side to access the cabinet of towels behind them. He hastily wrapped a fluffy white towel around his waist and proceeded to glare at Hiei. He had just opened his mouth to lash out at the fire demon, when a knock came at the bathroom door. "Shuicchi?" a young voice called from the other side.

Kurama let out a breath of relief. It was just his little brother.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks!" Kurama called out cheerfully.

He could faintly hear little Suicci call to Shiori that he was fine and then disappear back down the hallway to his own room. After all was clear, he rounded on Hiei again, who was still there as though absolutely nothing was wrong. "Hiei, what are you doing?" he hissed, trying to keep his voice down since his mother was now suspicious, and he no longer had the roar of bad plumbing to cover up his voice.

Hiei crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Kurama as though he were stupid. "I told you, I was sent to watch over you until-"

"I KNOW that! What are you doing in my bathroom? And what's the big idea of ripping the shower curtain open on me?"

Hiei looked at the redhead steadily. "I'm hungry. I wanted to know where I could find food."

Kurama instantly gave Hiei the "stupid" look that his comrade had just given him before. Not even able to form words to express his discontent and disbelief at his friend, he merely huffed, grabbed his clothes, and stormed off to his bedroom, locking the door.

_What_, exactly, Hiei's vision of right and wrong consisted of, Kurama had never quite been able to figure out. However, he would've thought that even Hiei would have the decency to leave him alone when he was showering... especially when he knew he was in heat. Kurama shook his head and straightened his pants. He turned back to the bed to grab his shirt but jumped once more that night as he found none other than - you guessed it - _Hiei_ sitting on his bed as though he had been there forever.

Kurama gave the smaller demon a stern look. "Number one: stop breaking into locked rooms. Number two: stop barging in on me when I'm trying to have some privacy!"

Hiei hardly seemed affected by the angry words and merely let a small smirk make its way across his face. Kurama's eyebrow twitched again. What could Hiei possibly find amusing NOW? "You really are more pissy than usual."

Snatching up his shirt from where it lay next to the demon, Kurama decided to let the subject drop. "So, where did you run off to earlier?"

"I was hungry. So I took some hot dogs from the moronic human in the park."

"But you were just looking for food."

Hiei looked at him, giving him another disgusted, you're-such-an-idiot look. "He ran out. I was still hungry. You're not on top of your game today, are you, fox?"

Kurama merely shook his head to himself once again. It didn't matter _what_ was going on with _him_, Hiei still acted incredibly strange sometimes. "Not everybody can read minds, Hiei."

"Hmph."

Kurama lowered himself into his desk chair. "So, I assume you'll be staying here tonight."

Hiei shrugged. "Or outside. It doesn't matter to me." He flashed Kurama a sultry smirk. "What would _you_ prefer?" he asked in a slighly lower and seductive voice.

The fox demon glared at his friend once more, though failed to hide the small blush that rose to his face. "Would you stop it, Hiei! You're not exactly helping my condition when you talk like that!"

Hiei licked his lips. "I could do something else to help your condition."

Kurama grabbed a large book off his desk and brandished it in the air. "HIEI!"

Chuckling darkly, Hiei swiftly disappeared from the bedspread, and the only trace that he had been there at all was the breeze filtering through the now open window.

Kurama slammed the book back on the desk and plopped down in the chair. His hands thread through his still damp hair, and he leaned against it, eyes closing.

Hiei was such a pest sometimes. Kurama knew he was his friend and was just kidding when he made suggestions like that, but that didn't mean he didn't have the desire to kill the fire demon for making him uncomfortable. He chuckled lowly to himself. If his Youko side, by some miracle, actually _did _choose a mate in the next two weeks, it certainly wasn't going to be Hiei.

Just the mere thought of his heat cycle made Kurama's body become warm again. _**'Dammit. I'm really getting sick of this.'**_ Deciding to just ignore it this time, Kurama crawled into bed and rolled himself up in the covers. Sleep would relieve his problems, if only for a little while.

* * *

Kurama sighed happily, taking in the crisp scent of the forest air. He was in his Youko form and propped lazily against a tree. His ears twitched every now and then at the woodland sounds, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the warm sun on his body. He felt at peace; quite unlike the uncomfortable tension he'd been experiencing all day. 

He moaned softly and let his eyes drift closed as the sun beat relentlessly against his exposed skin, and delved even deeper, heating up and searing through the white cloth of his clothing.

He arched a bit as a hand started trailing down the thin material on his chest. It traced and swirled teasing patterns all the way down his stomach, until it paused just above his groin. Another low sound escaped his lips as another hand cupped his cheek, moving smoothly along his jawline and neck.

The hands were soft and feminine, seeming to meld perfectly against his own skin. His brows furrowed slightly. They were so familiar. He knew those hands. He started to open his eyes, but the hand at his waist suddenly dipped lower so it was lightly cupping the bulge in his pants.

Youko's eyes snapped shut once more and he bucked against the hand, wanting more contact. But the more he tried to push against it, the more the hand kept moving away again. He growled in frustration. He _had_ to know who was doing this to him.

His eyes had just started to slide open again when a third hand roughly grabbed his shoulder and shook his entire body quite irritatingly.

Kurama's eyes snapped open quickly and he bolted up, the covers on his bed falling to pool around his waist. His breath was coming quicker than normal, and he couldn't help but notice the lock of red hair that fell to obscure his vision.

It was all just a dream... he was still in his human form, at home, without anyone touching him except maybe himself, and _that_ wasn't even a "for-sure".

"Shuicchi?"

Kurama twisted his head to the side to come face to face with his mother. His eyes widened, and one hand instinctively gripped the covers to hide his not-so-little reaction to his dream.

Shiori looked at him, concerned. "Shu, are you alright? You're sweating, and you were moaning in your sleep."

Kurama swallowed and smiled nervously, hoping he wasn't being too transparent. "I'm fine, mother. I was just having a bad dream. Nothing to worry about. As a matter of fact, I don't really even remember what it was about anymore."

Shiori smiled. "Well, your stepfather and I are leaving now. I thought I'd let you know."

It was then that Kurama noticed that Shiori was wrapped up in her good coat and her makeup was carefully applied; a great contrast to how she had looked in the kitchen. How long had he been asleep?

He smiled at her. "Right. Have fun. Don't worry about anything here."

Shiori leaned down and kissed her son on the forhead. "We won't be back too late. Dinner's downstairs in the oven. All you have to do is heat it up for 15 minutes."

"Yes, mother." He smiled brightly at her until she had left the room, closing the door behind her. Suddenly, his expression turned puzzled. _**'Didn't I lock that door...? Oh wait... Dammit, Hiei!'**_

He shook his head at the thought of his best friend and his incorrigible habit of breaking into locked rooms within his house. Green eyes shifted around the room. Well, wherever the little fire demon had run off to earlier, he hadn't returned yet. Either that, or he was outside in the yard somewhere.

Sighing, and deciding that he really didn't care at the moment, Kurama threw back the covers and stretched, relieved that his arousal had painlessly disappeared this time.

He lazily made his way across the hall and poked his head into his little brother's partially open door. "Suicci? Are you hungry?"

The younger boy barely glanced away from his video game. "Nah."

"Alright. Just let me know when you are."

"Yah."

Closing the door again, Kurama decided to maybe watch some TV downstairs, and then start working on his elixir for his "problem". However, he had barely reached the bottom of the staircase when the front door opened again and Shiori hurried through.

Kurama blinked. "Is everything alright, mother?"

Shiori smiled and swept into the kitchen, Kurama following. "Oh yes; fine. Just a little water squirtage. My fault." She laughed briefly. "I was just trying to put the hose away before we left." She grabbed a rag and shimmied out of her coat which was noticably wet down the front. She flung her hair out of the way and Kurama could see that the entire front of her dress and exposed chest was also thoroughly soaked.

Unconciously, the redhead felt a small jolt in his lower stomach and his throat tightened. The wet material clung to Shiori's body in a most provocative manner, and her head was flung back, revealing more skin on her upper body than usual. Her hand worked the rag along her chest and neck, then dabbed it across the wet clothing on her breasts and down between her cleavage.

Kurama's eyes were completely transfixed on her every movement, and the same jolt in his lower abdomen made itself known again, but stronger this time. He began to shake slightly as he felt himself growing involuntarily hard again.

He gulped and gripped the counter he was leaning against as hard as he could, trying to control himself. This was wrong! He had to gain his senses back!

By this time, Shiori had cleaned herself up as best she could and was putting her patted down, only semi-wet coat back on. Fortunately, for Kurama, she didn't seem to notice his problem and smiled sweetly at her son. "Ok, this time, I'm off for real. See you later, darling." She reached out and stroked back a lock of red hair that had fallen to rest against his cheek. Kurama froze.

He watched Shiori glide back out of the room, and the sound of the door clicking shut, once again, rang in his ears. His shaking had become worse now, and he could feel the unmistakable tingle of transformation running through his body. Thank the gods his mother had left before it became anything obvious.

One of his hands released its grip on the counter and thread through his now multicolored hair. His cheek was burning where Shiori had touched it. Dammit! There was no doubt in his mind now. Those hands... those were the hands in his dream. The jolt hit his stomach again and an almost feral growl escaped his lips.

Dashing upstairs, Kurama darted into the bathroom and immediately doused his face with water. Trembling, he gazed through the waterdrops at tinted gold eyes in the mirror. Silver and red strands mingled together in front of his face. "Not her..." he whispered shakily. "Please, Youko... anyone but her..."

His reflection merely smirked back at him.

* * *

A/N: You cannot believe how jumpy I was when writing those lime sections. I was so scared somebody was gonna pop in and bust me! Stupid family members never knock! Whew... glad that's over for now. 

In just the first chapter, I've grown very attached to my newest story, so hopefully it will be updated in a timely manner. And just for your reference, my definition of "timely manner" means within three months. Trust me, this is _good_ compared to the way I've treated some of my other stories in the past...

I always love reviews!

DixieGoddess-


	3. Breakdown

A/N: Lo and behold! I have actually updated in a non-retarded time frame. I'm so proud of myself! And I'm so happy that I actually got some interested readers! Thank you so much for your reviews everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters. I'm just grateful they exist, so I have the opportunity to put them into my story.

Warnings: Lime, slight incest, angst

* * *

Kurama was slumped on the floor of the bathroom, staring blankly at the wall. He had been there approximately 30 minutes, but time no longer mattered to him in the slightest. He heard his little brother's footsteps return to the upstairs. Suicci had gone down awhile ago to eat. His ear twitched involuntarily at the soft noise. 

Yes, he had completed his transformation. He had sat upon the floor as Youko Kurama for the past half hour, not really bothering to do much about it. What did he care? He was behind the closed door to the most private room of the house. And even if he wasn't, he didn't think it would've really registered in his mind.

He closed his eyes in obvious turmoil. Despite the physical change, he hadn't yet crossed over to actually _being_ Youko Kurama. No; he was still good ol' Kurama that everybody depended on; not the notorious Makai bandit. True, his identities weren't as separate as they used to be, but they still existed somewhat apart from eachother.

A quiet knock came at the bathroom door. Finally snapping out of his reverie, Kurama tried to make his voice the same melodic tone that it always was. Truth be told, it was difficult, since when his body changed, so did the timbre of his voice. And since his mind was elsewhere, his acting skills diminished greatly. "Yes?"

Suicci leaned against the outside of the door, hardly able to hear his step brother's soft voice. "You ok? You've been in there awhile." He frowned. "And you don't sound so good. Are you sick?"

Kurama had to stop a dark chuckle at the question. Yes, he _was_ sick; but not in the physical way. "I'm fine, Suicci," he answered in a clipped tone, trying to control his voice. "Do you need something?" He could sense the sudden hesitation and shock from the other side of the door. He hadn't meant to sound cold. It just came out that way.

His first instinct was to apologize, but hoping that maybe his attitude would get his little brother to leave quicker, he held back. It wasn't that he didn't love the kid; he just wanted to be alone at the moment.

Suicci finally spoke again. "Uh... no, I'm fine. I was just making sure you were."

"I appreciate the concern. However, it is unnecessary." He sighed minutely. "Why don't you go to bed. It's getting late."

"Uh... you're kinda hogging the bathroom."

There was an awkward silence for a minute or so in which Suicci became nervous all over again. What was going on with his brother? Sure, he always acted weirder than most people his age, but this was just ridiculous. Not getting any response, he leaned tightly against the door. "Shuicchi?"

Suddenly, the door swung open, causing the younger boy to lose his balance and fall, ungracefully, to the bathroom floor. As he was falling, a cool breeze brushed past him, but by the time he had regained his senses and sat up, his brother was nowhere to be found, and the older Shuicchi's bedroom door was closed.

Suicci stared at it for a second, completely bewildered. Was Shuicchi really that fast? How come he never knew about this? Why wasn't Shuicchi on the damn track team? Shaking his head and deciding that sometimes his step brother's behavior was completely over his head, he stood and closed the bathroom door, starting the shower to get ready for bed.

Kurama slouched against the floor clenching his fists. "Dammit," he whispered angrily. "How could I have let this happen? How could I have let this happen?"

He banged his head against the door a few times. This was _not_ good. His Youko side could _not_ be attracted to Shiori. He could _not_ go after her. She was his human mother! And she was _married_! He couldn't allow his other side to hurt her in any way. He'd never forgive himself.

His claws dug into his palms so hard, he could feel the blood trickling down his fingers and onto the carpet. He squeezed his eyes shut and repeated his mantra. "How could I have let this happen?"

His eyes snapped open again as he felt a familiar presence appear just outside his window. Hiei was back.

Kurama's eyes flashed dangerously as he was filled with a new rage. _'No, it's not how could **I **have let this happen. It's how could **Hiei** have let this happen!'_ He bared his teeth and glared at the window even though it was closed. _'He's supposed to be watching me! It was his duty to make sure nothing like this happened! Besides, he was the one upsetting me more and more with his stupid comments and innuendos! How was I supposed to act after he riled me up so much?'_

Apparantly, even Hiei wasn't so apathetic as to ignore the sudden immense anger coming fromt he fox's bedroom. He also wasn't stupid enough not to sense that Kurama's energy rise was an indication that he had transformed. Within a split second, he was standing in Kurama's bedroom, looking at the transformed kitsune... who was glaring at him as though he were thinking delicious thoughts about murdering his friend and skinning his dead body to make a pretty throw rug.

Hiei reached behind him to close the window and quirked a brow, ready to ask the what the hell his problem was now, but didn't get the chance as Kurama suddenly lunged for him.

The fire demon barely dodged the outstretched claws and Kurama's upper half crashed through the window, sending glass shards all over the room and bloodying himself up pretty bad. However, he barely seemed to notice the blood soaking his clothing and cascading down his skin and rounded on Hiei again.

Thinking quickly, Hiei drew his sword and swung at Kurama, effectively staving off his advances long enough for the fire demon to escape back out the window. Kurama growled and followed without hesitation, trying to catch up.

The chase didn't last long since Kurama was merely attacking out of blind rage rather than purpose and strategy. If the kitsune had been thinking clearly at all, he woul've used his plants by that point, but being as he _wasn't_ thinking clearly, it was quite easy for the smaller demon to trick him.

Skidding to a sudden halt, he vaulted over his friend so he was standing behind him. With his reflexes dulled by anger, by the time Kurama figured it out, he was on his knees, and the blade of the sword was against his neck. He growled at Hiei but knew better than to try moving.

Hiei smirked, finding the situation amusing now that he was the one in control. "Are you _growling_ at me, Kurama?" he asked in mock-surprise. "Haven't heard you do that in awhile. What's got you so pissy?" Kurama started to turn his head, but the blade was pushed more firmly against his throat. Hiei wasn't quite ready to let him go. "What happened? You finally snap and decide to have your way with me? You couldn't just asked nicely, you know."

Kurama bared his fangs and glared at Hiei out of his peripheral vision. "It's all your fault."

Hiei blinked, confused. "It's my fault that your hormones are out of control?"

"Yes! You were the one who kept provoking me! You were supposed to be keeping tabs on me! And now, he's chosen her, and it's all your fault!"

"He?"

"Youko! He's chosen her, and that can't happen!"

"Her?"

"Shiori, dammit!"

"Shiori?"

"My mother!"

Hiei sneered. "I know who Shiori is, dumbass!"

"Then stop repeating everything I say with that blank tone!"

Hiei scowled. "I'm trying to process what's going on here."

Kurama clamped his eyes shut and clutched the grass beneath him. "What's going on here is that Youko's chosen Shiori! And he's going to hurt her! _I'm_ going to hurt her!" Tears started welling up in his eyes, and Hiei's sword slackened as the silver hair began to turn a red hue again. "I can't hurt her, Hiei! I can't! I'll never forgive myself..."

The transformation was complete and Kurama had broken down into sobs. Hiei put his sword away and stared awkwardly down at his crying friend. Had it been anyone else, he would've scoffed at them and told them to stop being so weak and that they were embarassing themselves. But in all the years he'd known him, he'd never actually seen Kurama _cry_. He was always so much stronger and composed than that. If he was resorting to crying, something must be seriously wrong.

Not knowing of anything better to do, Hiei crouched down, guided the crying boy onto his back, and took off toward the Minaminno property.

* * *

Kurama sleepily blinked his eyes and tried to focus in the dark room. His mind was hazy and discombobulated, and he wasn't exactly sure what was going on. A few seconds of scanning his surroundings finally brought his confused mind back to the real world. He was in his room... and it was very dark. The only reason he was able to see at all was because of his demonically heightened eyesight. _'What time is it?'_ A quick glance to the bedside table revealed it to be almost 1:30 in the morning. _'1:30! Mother should be back by now! Oh no! The window!'_

But when he looked to the window that was supposed to be in pieces all over the floor, he was shocked to discover that there was a perfectly solid and normal looking window where there ought to be. The shards were no longer there and the blood stains he was sure he had gotten on the carpet were non-existant.

Everything in the room was exactly as it should be. Even _he_ was in perfectly clean clothes in nicely straightened sheets. Had it not been for the fact that he had a single small bandage wrapped around his knuckles, he would've been sure he had dreamed the entire incident with Hiei.

Speaking of Hiei, Kurama could distinctly sense his presence from inside the room. But the small demon didin't seem to be anywhere.

Unless...

Standing somewhat shakily from the bed, Kurama ambled over to the closet and slid it open. Sure enough...

Kurama had to smile for a second at the thought that Hiei looked so damn cute when he was asleep and would probably murder him in a moment if he ever knew he thought that. The second thought to cross his mind was _'What the hell is he doing in the **closet**?'_

"What do you want?" a sleepy but gruff voice suddenly demanded.

Kurama snapped from his thoughts and looked back to Hiei who had lifted his head and was blinking tired eyes at him.

Kurama smiled slightly and leaned against the frame. "I was just wondering what on earth you are doing in my closet."

"Sleeping," Hiei snapped as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kurama chuckled. "But why in the closet?"

Hiei finally stood and stretched, walking into the main part of the room. "So your mother wouldn't see me. And I'm inside because I didn't think it would be a good idea to leave you alone," he added, already anticipating the kitsune's next question. "Not after your little breakdown."

Kurama sighed and walked back to the bed sitting cross-legged. So it definitely hadn't been a dream.

Hiei, who had opted to lean against the desk began speaking again. "You fell asleep, or unconcious really, on the way back. Your hand and shoulder were bleeding pretty badly so I wrapped them up and changed your clothes." (Kurama lifted the short arm of his t-shirt to discover that his shoulder had indeed been bandaged as well.) "I fixed the window as best I could. There are still small holes and you can see the cracks where the glue is, but you can't notice it in the dark. I also cleaned the carpet and straightened the room. Nobody in your family suspects anything."

Kurama, who had stood to personally inspect the fixed window, turned back to stare at Hiei with mild shock on his face.

Hiei noticed and shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"I don't think I've ever heard you say so much at one time, and I can hardly believe you went so above and beyond the call of duty for me."

Hiei turned away, embarassed now. "If you cause or get into any trouble it'll be considered _my_ fault. I did this just as much for my own skin as yours. So don't go thinking you're something special or anything."

Kurama had to smirk at the overly defiant tone in the fire demon's voice that was the sure indication of a lie. He climbed back into bed, propping himself against the pillows. "Well, either way, thank you, Hiei." He glanced at the window. "I'll be able to replace the window in the morning."

"Hm."

Kurama flexed his bandaged hand a few times and let the silence build. Finally, he cracked a small grin and shifted his gaze to Hiei's back. "So exactly how badly did I freak you out when I began to cry?"

Hiei 'hmphed'. "You didn't _freak_ me out. You just surprised me a little."

"Heh."

A few more seconds of silence passed before Hiei broke it this time, his voice unusually soft quiet and soft. "So, are you ok?"

Had Hiei not been so genuinely serious, Kurama might have teased him for seeming so concerned. But, as it stood, it was obvious that Hiei really did care about the state of his friend. "I'm fine. I just got sort of worked up." He paused, searching for something else to say. "I didn't have any dreams while I was unconcious. That's gotta be a good sign, right?"

"Or it could just mean that you were so mentally exhausted that your brain couldn't handle dreams at the time, but they'll be back tomorrow..." He quickly noticed Kurama's depressed look and added, "Sorry."

Kurama had to smile then. "My, my, Hiei. First bandages, then cleaning, and now apologies. What's gotten into you tonight?"

Hiei jammed his hands in his pockets and scowled. "Fuck you."

The kitsune finally laughed aloud. "That's more like the Hiei I know! For a second I was worried you were going soft on me. I was afraid you might start doing things like _smiling_ and _helping_ people! _Perish the thought_!" He burst into more laughter at his own joke. It wasn't really that funny, but once you break out of a very serious and stressful period, everything is hilarious. Hiei might've pointed out that Kurama was acting like an idiot (which he was), but in the current situation, he was just relieved that the other demon was feeling better. Crying and panicked Kurama was something he never wanted to experience again. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud...

As Kurama's chuckles began to subside, Hiei sauntered back to the closet. "I'm going back to sleep. And you should too... idiot." And the door slammed shut.

Kurama fell back on the pillows picking up his laughter even harder than before to the point where he could barely breathe. He knew it was probably just because he was now at the point of madness and hysteria, but at the moment, it just felt so good to laugh. He was probably lucky his entire family slept like logs.

After a few minutes of releasing his emotional tension (in which Hiei tried to ignore him although it became more and more tempting to go strangle him with each giggle), Kurama settled back and closed his eyes.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Ok, that was a slightly boring chapter and Hiei was way too nice; I realize that. Things will pick up more in the next chapterand Hiei will be back to the smart-ass bastard that we all know and love. 

Please review!

DixieGoddess


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